The 3rd Blog-iversary post!

Last year for my blog-iversary, I wrote a post highlighting 10 series of books every homeschooler (I've known) reads!

Without further ado:

10 Series Homeschoolers Read

The 1st post on my Blog!

For my very first post on my blog, I wrote a post about 4 myths people commonly have about homeschoolers!

Without further ado:

The School Year is Coming

(man, that just sounds ominous....I apologize XD I was very dramatic back then...I've gotten better as the years progressed lol!)

10 Series Homeschoolers Read - A Blogiversary post!

Whoa! 3 years! Ive had my blog for 3 years! Its hard to believe for me! I'm so glad Ive stuck it out this long! Every year, since day one, on my blog-iversary, I post something about homeschooling/homeschoolers!

The very first post on my blog was: 4 Myths About Homeschooling!

The 1st year Anniversary, I posted: 100 Things Homeschoolers Love!

The 2nd year Anniversary I posted: The Homeschooler's "Rap"!

This year, without further ado, we shall discuss 10 Series Homeschoolers read!

1. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Homeschoolers love Lord of the Rings! (and of course the Hobbit as well) I read them through for the first time a couple summers ago, and loved them! Ive read through them a couple times since!

2. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

You can't have Middle-Earth without Narnia! My Dad read these to me when I was little, and when we were reading "The Silver Chair", I drew a picture of the Marshwiggle, and Jill, and so on, on a sticky note. We kept the picture in the book!

3. The Sugar Creek Gang by Paul Hutchens

I must confess, I haven't read these, but my Dad did to my sisters! They love the Sugar Creek Gang! In fact, they are currently watching on of the Sugar Creek Gang movies they got out from the Church library yesterday. They often pretend to be the Sugar Creek Gang as well. Its always an honor to be Circus!

4. The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon

My Mom and I are proud to say that we completed my Dad's collection of the original Hardy Boys  a few years ago! I have read every single one of them, and love them! My sisters just started reading them with Dad. I think they are gonna start the 2nd or 3rd book tonight.

5. Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene

You can't have the Hardy Boys without Nancy Drew! This is my pitiful collection of Nancy Drew. I must confess I like the Hardy Boys better, even though they were both written by Edward Stratemeyer. I actually read an interesting biography on him a couple years ago. The funniest story I read in it was when his son was old enough to read them, he would borrow the books from his friends and eagerly devour them! One day, his son came into his office, and gasped when he saw the rows of books that his father had written. He didn't know until that point that his father was the author!

6. Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol

I devoured these as a kid! I loved trying to figure out who did the crime, what happened, and seeing if I was right. I didn't always figure it out, but it sure was lots of fun! I also enjoyed rereading them and seeing if I can remember what happened in the end without peeking at the answers. Encyclopedia Brown was amazing in my opinion!

7. The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Ah The Boxcar Children! I loved reading about their adventures with their Grandfather! My Dad read these to my sisters, and they gobbled them up! I especially loved the Schoolhouse Mystery (#10). Of course the first one is the most loved! I remember seeing my friend have them, and being quite intrigued as a kid.

8. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I have read these too many times to count! And of course, the true avid homeschooling readers know that there isn't just the Little House series but there the series about Laura's Great Grandma, Grandma, Mom, and Daughter!

I especially enjoyed the series about her Great Grandmother in Scotland!

9. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

My Mom read this to me as a kid, and I fell in love with Anne! I read through the series again last fall or winter. I loved how she adored books like I do! Anne of Green Gables is a classic series that every homeschooler should read if they haven't yet!

10. Sarah, Plain, and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

I read these as a kid, and my Mom read these to my sisters. We love the Sarah, Plain, and Tall series! We also enjoyed the movies that were made based on the first 3 books. When we need a good rainy day movie, we pull them out. They are short books, but they are excellently written! I highly recommend them for a read aloud!

Beautiful Blessings - 8/3/15

~ Now over 800 blog posts!

~ Nearing the 3rd year Blog-iversary of my blog!

~ Having over 26,500+ views!
~ Every sweet person who has commented on my blog!
~ Looking forward to the next year of blogging!

Beautiful Blessings - 7/16/15

Long post ahead just to warn ya ;~)

~ Seeing the view from the park where we had a picnic lunch! This snippet of song from Mary Poppins came to mind (Chim-Chim Cher-ee):

"Up where the smoke is
All billowed and curled
'Tween pavement and stars
Is the chimney-sweep world

When there's hardly no day
Nor hardly no night
There's things half in shadow
And half way in light
On the rooftops of London
Coo, what a sight"

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~ Listening to the chimes of a church when it is noon! The Hills are Alive came to mind:

The hills are alive, 

With the sound of music 

With songs they have sung 

For a thousand years

The hills fill my heart,

With the sound of music

My heart wants to sing

Every song it hears

My heart wants to beat

Like the wings of the birds

That rise from the lake to the trees

My heart wants to sigh

Like a chime that flies

From a church on a breeze

To laugh like a brook

When it trips and falls

Over stones on its way

To sing through the night

Like a lark

Who is learning to pray

I go to the hills

When my heart is lonely

I know I will hear

What I've heard before

My heart will be blessed,

With the sound of music

And I'll sing once more.

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~ Discovering where the sidewalk ends!

WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS

There is a place where the sidewalk ends

And before the street begins,

And there the grass grows soft and white,

And there the sun burns crimson bright,

And there the moon-bird rest from his flight

To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black

And the dark street winds and bends.

Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow

We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,

And watch where the chalk-white arrows go

To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,

And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,

For the children, they mark, and the children, they know,

The place where the sidewalk ends.

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~ Imagining my sisters are Betsy, Tacy, and Tib!

"Holding the plate in one hand and a glass of milk in the other, each little girl would walk carefully out of her house and down the porch steps and out to the middle of the road. Then they would walk up the hill to that bench where Tacy had stood the first night she came. And they would eat supper together." - Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace

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~ Spotting the beautiful heart on the dragonfly's wings! To continue with the literary theme:

The Dragon-fly

By Alfred Lord Tennyson

Today I saw the dragon-fly
Come from the wells where he did lie.
An inner impulse rent the veil
Of his old husk: from head to tail
Came out clear plates of sapphire mail.
He dried his wings: like gauze they grew;
Thro' crofts and pastures wet with dew
A living flash of light he flew.

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Twas a beautiful day! :~D

Blog Neglect = Rambling Post

I stop doing a series and poof! I disappear from the face of the blogosphere. I'd start another series but I havent decided what yet ;~) I could bring back one of my old ones but I'm still not 100% yet so I'm not sure how consistant I'd be. Hmm....

I can always do one of those thinking, feeling, and so on posts! :~D

So without further ado!

Right now I'm...

...enjoying a spot of tea on the sunroom porch!

...wearing my fantabulous new apron which I'm madly in love with!

...happy because my hair is super curly today....gotta love humidity!

...looking forward to some delicious homemade bread with dinner tonight!

...gazing at the beautiful blue sky,

...and watching the wind blowthrough the trees!

...listening to the birds twitter, 

...a plane fly high overhead, 

...and the delightful sound of keyboard keys clacking!

...feeling the cool air from the overhead fan!

...thinking about how my friends are doing,

...and praying for them!

...marveling at how big my sisters are getting!

...thanking God for Lil' G's cast for her arm!

...reminiscing about going to CYIA camp for 4 years in a row!

...being absolutely silly with my friend(s)!

...seeing birds flit about,

...along with a few butterflies!

...hoping the lovely weather lasts all of today!

...remembering I forgot to take my vitamins! (oops! lol!)

...taking my vitamins!

...laughing at this rather random blog post!

...wiggling my feet,

...and tootsies!

...wishing I felt up to reading!

...wondering who is going to read this allllll the way to end!! lol!!!

(a random post needs a random picture lol! this is a couple months old but hey! it works, right???? lol!!)

So voila!! My life in a nutshell! XD

Venerable Vintage Hats: Hopeful Feathers!

I suppose to celebrate the 700th post on my blog, we need something special! Something classic, feathered, and quite fetching! I think this fits the bill! Don't you?

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul - and sings the tunes without the words - and never stops at all.

~ Emily Dickinson ~

It's been a while....

It's been a while since I just pulled up a fresh post and just talked. Right now I'm feeling really accomplished as I completed some work I brought home from work this week. It's really an amazing feeling, and I'm glad I was able to do it!

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. - Colossians 3:23-24
 

It's easy to forget that sometimes. I'm thankful for being reminded of this, even when I'm doing things that aren't fun to work on. Things like sweeping under the dining room table, or sorting through things that have been collected in my room over time. I will say again, the feeling of accomplishment is like no other!! 

After that, I think it's time to relax, call it a night, and just crochet!! :~D  

20,000 views!!!

Whoa!! 20,000 views! Wow! I'm amazed! I really am! Ahh, I suppose it's time to reminisce on some of the past posts! What do you think? Heehee! ;~)

My Very First Post - A strange post on the myths of homeschooling!

My Most Popular Post - A Throwback Tuesday I did for Rachel Louise Carson!

My 2nd Most Popular Post - A post I did on why I wear skirts!

 My 3rd Most Popular Post - A post about my Hope Chest! I should do an updated one soon....

My 4th Most Popular Post - A post I did as a follow up on why I wear skirts, things I've learned while wearing skirts!

My 5th Most Popular Post - A guest post my friend Noah did while I was camping this past summer! Go read it! It's awesome!

Now for past celebration posts:

When I reached 2,000 views!

When I reached 3,000 views!

When I reached 5,000 views!

When I reached 10,000 views!

For all of you who have read my blog, I have to say:

We've had serious posts, strange posts, silly posts, sad post, sweet posts, super-awesomeness posts, and who knows what else!!

Thank you for stopping by my Home on the Erie Canal!!

A Blank Post

As I sit here typing: I am marring the stillness of a blank post. 

Keys typing black letters upon a stark white, blank post. 

Blank posts make one feel refreshed. 

Yet now this post is not blank.

This post is starting to be filled.

Filled with words, thoughts, hopes, and dreams.

That is what has occurred to my blog. 

I started off with a blank post.

And then I started to fill the blog with words, thoughts, hopes and dreams.

I never knew I'd still be blogging this.

I never knew that this would be one of the best things I've decided to keep doing.

Yet the blank post that started it all, is no longer blank.

It it is marred with love, family, friends, thoughts, dreams, hopes, and words.

Now it's no longer marred. 

Now it's beautiful.

Now it's no longer blank.

Now it's filled with love.

Sometimes a blank post is all you need.