Haven at Home Happenings... 5-24-11

The past two weeks have been
those that pass by slowly, but quickly.
We have been home bound,
as our Yuki is in the shop getting a new transmission.

But we haven't minded, at all, being at home.


There is nothing like staying at home
for real comfort.
Jane Austen


And it's been such a blessing having our eldest here...
spending time with her... together...
as a family.

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Surprisingly, I haven't taken many photos lately
but here are some I have gotten...
just enjoying daily life together...

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working...
















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playing, too...















Daddy is the Pharaoh-ist of them all ;o)

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and snuggling...





Shalom!

Regency Dress... Flowers and Cream

In time for summer...














She seeketh wool, and flax,
and worketh willingly with her hands.
Proverbs 31:13

Civil Wear, Y'all

A recent project I worked on
for our eldest...

Not an exact replica
but my version
of a Scarlett O'Hara/civil war
green and white picnic dress

Our southern belle...








She seeketh wool, and flax,
and worketh willingly with her hands.
Proverbs 31:13

What Do You Pant For?

photo credit: allposters

You're in the wilderness. It's hot and it's dry.
The heat has been beating down upon you.
You've been walking.
You've been walking a really, long time.
You've even run some of the time.
Sometimes it seemed so unbearable
that you even crawled.


Your mouth is opened and you're panting.
What do you pant for?



photo credit: allposters

"Water!",
the children answer unanimously,
as they sit at the table, Bibles open,
as we are reading through Scriptures
and listening to Mama's illustration...

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"How bad do you want that water?",
Mama asks.
"Really bad, huh?
You thirst, you long, you ache for it, right?"


They all heartily agree,
"Yes! Really bad!"

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Mama shares the Scripture, again,
that they had just read aloud...


"I opened my mouth, and panted:
for I longed for Thy commandments."
Psalm 119:131


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"Do you see how YHVH wants us
to pant after His commands? His Word?",
Mama questions...

"Just as much as if
you were running in a desert wilderness,
with no water...
but you thirsted and panted for it... badly."

"He wants us
to want His commandments, His Torah, that badly.
Even more!"

"He wants us to open our mouths...
ready to receive it and drink it in.
Just like we would that beautiful glass of water!"

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It was a good illustration for the children.
They understood.

It was a good illustration for me.
I was reminded.

It is a good illustration for all of us.

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I wonder...
What do we pant for?
What do we have such a desperate longing for?
What do we open our mouths for to receive?





Abba, may I always thirst, long, and pant
after Your commandments, Your Torah...
Your beautiful commandments, beautiful Torah,
full of revelation of You and Your heart.



"I opened my mouth, and panted:
for I longed for Thy commandments."
Psalm 119:131

Trip to Sea World

One of the many advantages of homeschooling
is that we often have the ability
to get certain discounts, as educators...
And one of the few advantages of living in the city
is the variety of local attractions.

Well, this past week was one of those times
when the advantages collided. :)

Earlier this week, we had the opportunity
to visit the local Sea World for the first time
and at a great educator's rate. :)

There were many wonderful sights to see!


We began with going to the sea lion show...



It was very interesting to watch the sea lion
and the trainer interact with each other.








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After the sea lion show,
we watched the seals nearby,
some swimming, some begging for food,
and some soaking up the sunshine...








A little learning, too...



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We, also, ventured our way to the dolphins...




It was a lot of fun to watch them jump and play...

















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When we stumbled upon the tidal pool,
everyone was thrilled.
We enjoyed learning about what creatures
lurked within and how all of them
were safe to touch and handle.






sea urchins



Starfish
Notice the one on the bottom right?
It has six arms instead of five. Neat, huh?







Our Carolynne was the one that could have stayed
at the tidal pool all day...
or, at least, until she touched every starfish...
which she tried. ;o)

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The aquariums were lots of fun, too!
I was thrilled to hear all three of them
identifying the different fish
(most from memory!).






Okay, the size of this grouper fish was just... wow!



See the fish? See the stone? See the stone fish?
Weird huh?

Isn't YHVH's creation amazing?!

And, yes, we found Nemo...
and he really does love the anemone. ;o)



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It was a day of delightful learning!
We just love days like those!





O {YHVH} LORD, how great are thy works!
Psalm 92:5

Our Neighbors... African Turtles

We noticed our neighbors were outside
in their front yard the other day
so we took the opportunity
to go as a family to greet them.

They weren't very chatty
but the were lots of fun to meet!





Hi. We're Bismark and Hood.
named after two battleships...
(which our son, surprisingly to us, already knew
those were the names of battleships!
I love homeschool!)




A picnic lunch on the lawn









You never know what sort of neighbors you have...
be sure to get to know them. ;o)

Haven at Home Happenings... 5-3-11

Phew! It seems life has been such a whirlwind lately...
which isn't, necessarily, a 'bad' thing,
just a reminder at how quickly life happens.

Daddy was gone for a few weeks due to work
and we are always thrilled to welcome him home, again. :)
Also, these past few weeks,
we have been continuing with our learning at home,
including learning more about YHVH's appointed times
(specifically these ones that have been
taking place during these spring months).
It continues to be a delight to learn
so much more about our Creator!





Learning about counting the omer



Reading passages of Scripture
about YHVH's Torah



Copy work








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One day, as our youngest was working through her Language Lesson book,
she declared, from the other room,
"Wow! This Richard paints real good!
His bird looks real!"


LOL
Picture study has many perks. ;o)


She shared one of her masterpieces this week, too...


Our neighbor's dog, who just had puppies

I just love how relationships are formed through learning!

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We have had many warm, sunny days
here in southern California
and being outdoors just cannot be resisted...
nor should it be. ;-)


Bike riding down a dirt hill
has been the new favorite thing...




And, of course, it's always more interesting
when Daddy plays...



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This past week, we took a walk up the hill,
which was very enjoyable!





Even Suzie enjoyed it
and liked to stop to smell the 'roses'
(well, they weren't roses...
and she didn't really smell them anyway
but it made for a cute photo of her)...








And at the end of April, beginning of May,
the grass here is already turning
from green to golden brown...



Hence, The Golden State :o)










After a few pics,
the children REALLY loved going down the hill.
But we're not sure if they were obeying the speed limit or not. ;o)





Daddy and Will enjoyed some basketball time...



And our youngest learned how to ride a two wheel bike.
*sigh* They sure grow fast...

She was tickled to ride bikes with her sister...



Yes... busy days... a busy life...
but we're busy making memories...
and YHVH's blessings are abundant each day.
May we always be pausing in the busyness of life
to give Him thanks and praise. :)


"Let the people praise thee,
O {Elohim} God;
let all the people praise thee."
Psalm 67:5



Shalom!