creative

I find it amazingly delightful that the Creator of the Universe took time to make even the small and seemingly insignificant details interesting and unique. Take as example these adorable mushrooms I found growing in my compost. Personally, I'm not sure that I would have bothered to make cute fungus. But the master planner...ahhh...his creativity is inspiring.

jingle bells

Natale loves music. She regularly makes up songs almost absentmindedly as she is working or playing. She quickly memorizes words to song that she find attractive and desperately wants to play instruments. For her birthday I gave her a little melody harp with music that slips under the strings and maps out which string to pluck to make a song. While shopping for toys for Mexico this spring I ran across a set of colored hand bells. When Natale discovered that some pairs of bells sound better together than others we used that to write a color-coded hand bell concert. 

As fall was approaching I encouraged Natale's mom to check out a church in the area that has an fine arts school that offers all manner of interesting classes.  Natale went to her first intro to music class two weeks ago. They learned tThree Blind Mice on a Glochenspeil (xylophone set up like a piano keyboard). Natale has been playing the song on the keyboard in our worship room all week. 

Last night I got to go to the class with Natale. There are currently 5 other five to eight year olds in the class. The instructor is a retired music teacher and did a lovely job. She had a little song called Peanut Butter Pie that she taught the class. Each time the song mentioned Peanut Butter Pie they would tap out a specific rhythm she had taught them. First with their hands on their legs. Then with their feet standing in place. Then with their feet moving about the room. Then with the instruments. Each time the group mastered the task she would switch it up a bit to keep them thinking. 

Because I was able to watch the class from the back of the room I will be able to reinforce the concepts that were taught in the class and maybe eventually extend into some beginning piano lessons.

heavens declare

The monsoon season brings some interesting photo opps along with the humidity. This was one of those run back in the house and grab the camera before it's gone moments.

shabbat shalom

 

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Shabbat (שַׁבָּת; related to Hebrew verb "cease, rest") is the seventh day of the Jewish week and is the day of rest and abstention from work as commanded by God. Shabbat involves two interrelated commandments: to remember (zachor) and to observe (shamor).

shalom from salam/salem/shalam = to be safe, sound, healthy, perfect, complete [1Ki 7:51, Neh 6:18]) signifies a sense of well-being and harmony both within and without  - Completeness, wholeness, peace, health, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, fullness, rest, harmony; the absence of agitation or discord, a state of calm without anxiety or stress.

 

The root meaning of shalom is to be whole or sound and this leads to translations that speak of completeness, wholeness, well-being, welfare and peace. Shalom also includes the idea of vigour and vitality in all dimensions of life. In short, shalom speaks of holistic ("holy") health for our souls and spirits.

10 fingers...

Natale is a right brain person; story telling, drama, dance, music....
she's all over it. 










 Numbers, on the other hand (pun intended) that's not a tune she sings unbidden. Although we have done lots of manipulates and there have been some light bulb moments, we still frequent the basics regularly. 

When I realized number conservation of fingers on her hand is still a little slippery (needing to recount fingers in case the number may have changed since the last time) I came up with this hand-print math project that has been fun, challenging and hopefully helpful in making things stickier.

Have I mentioned lately how much I enjoy homeschooling?

the whole tribe

I started plotting a group photo at Lake Michigan when I realized this would be the one time during our week at camp that we would all be together in one place at the same time. I didn't however do a good job communicating my plan so when toes hit the sand as the sun began sinking on Wednesday evening a small group took off to climb the dunes in one direction while a second group set off to walk the pier in the opposite direction. I anxiously
watched the sun get closer to the wet horizon at the same time scanning to my left and to my right for our returning adventure seekers. When I saw the second group of wanders returning I started ordering people into place and we had just enough golden light left to do a quick photo session to commemorate our time together.

Note to self:
When you end up on the outside of the group and you lean in to do the group hug pose remember to point the back end away from the camera instead of to the side.

double

Little Eden 2013

Double the fun.

 

single

Little Eden Camp 2013

My favorite way to take people pics...

up close and personal.

 Take with the campfire as main light source.

flowering

The groom's little sisters were excited to be flower girls in the wedding. They stood patiently all through dress rehearsal and again through the entire wedding.

I was assigned to video the bride as she walked down the path so I missed seeing the flower dump at the end of the bridge. The upside down basket echoed the actions of another literal thinking little flower girl from years past.

 

grooms-macho-men

Between all the pauses at dress rehearsal it didn't take more than a quick suggestion from the photographer to get the waiting groomsmen  to strike a pose like the statue they were standing near.

cold feet

It was the father of the bride,

not the bride herself,

who ended up with cold feet at the dress rehearsal.

then again....

Not everyone can pull off the basket-hat look as well as Angela. :)

foot loose

Whilethe wedding party was taking their "fun" photos the bridesmaid's shoes and flowers were abandoned in a pretty pile in the grass.

simply beautiful

'nuf said.

first grade

Tuesday Natale and I did school together for the first time in a month. I decided it would be a good time to make her promotion official although her reading skills crossed the line several months ago. She missed school so much she was requesting "old favorites" and complained when her mom came to get her at 5:30 that the day had gone too quickly.

expressions

 

 

primping

 Big sisters help the flower girls with their hair.

fashion statment

What to do with your flower girl basket after the petals are gone.

photo journal

A favorite photo-journalistic style shot from the wedding I recently attended in Indiana. I enjoyed being the person behind the photographer. The casual outdoor setting allowed me plenty of freedom to roam with my camera.

5 years

Happy Anniversary to Us!