Welcome September!

Happy September! I am so excited that this month has arrived, because it means the start of my favorite season. I'm looking forward to pumpkin patches, decorating, and baking, and especially cooler weather. I hope you enjoy these pictures from past Septembers...


First pumpkin of the season.






Acorn squash baked with maple syrup.


Gingerbread Cupcakes. Recipe HERE.



~September~

We made ourselves a castle
Once after school was out;
We raked the leaves together
To wall it all about.

We made a winding pathway
Down to the school-yard gate.
And there we worked with might and main
Until the day grew late;

Until one bright star twinkled
Above the maple tree,
And lights shone down on village street
As far as we could see.

We planned that every recess
We'd come out there to play,
But in the night it blew so hard
Our castle blew away.
K. Pyle

What are you looking forward to this month?

Morning Glories

A great way to start the week is to see our first Morning Glory blooms.


I'm sure I planted the blue variety, but the purple is beautiful, too.


Happy Monday!

Show and Tell Friday!

Welcome to “Show and Tell Friday!” Do you have something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, or a treasured collection. Look around your home for something to share; dig through those boxes in your closet if you have to! Share photos and the story that goes with your special item.


Hello! My friend Sandra, at Ravenhill Cottage recently shared pictures of her bookshelves and books, so I thought I would join in. The ones I'm sharing today don't include the wall of shelves in Phillip's office!


We have four shelves in our schoolroom for history, geography, science and novels.


I also keep our collection of Wizard of Oz dolls here. We got them at McDonalds several years ago.


This bookshelf is in our hallway. We have more novels, devotionals, art, poetry and children's story books here.


And finally, a shelf in our bedroom for magazines and non-fiction.


There is also a spot for my Matryoshka dolls, found at a yardsale. Thank you for stopping by and taking a look. Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember, that your Show and Tell needs to be something from your home or garden. Please read the Show and Tell Guidelines for step-by-step instructions on how to participate.

If you would like to join in, please leave your exact show and tell blog post link, along with your first name only (this makes the list easier to read). If your link has been removed from Mr. Linky, please re-read over the guidelines before re-posting, or e-mail me with any questions.

Roast Chicken and Blueberry Cake

Last week friends of ours had a new baby, so we took them a gift and dinner.


I made roasted chicken and vegetables. I coated everything with a little olive oil and sprinkled on a spice and herb packet. I don't remember the exact name, but I found it near the dry gravy mixes.


For dessert, I tried a new recipe: Blueberry Oatmeal Cake. I made one for us too, and it was delicious!

I hope your week is going well. School is keeping us busy and the girls and I are getting haircuts this afternoon. Talk to you soon!

Update:  We did not end up getting haircuts.  We got a flat tire instead!  Thankfully, Phillip's brother was able to pick him up, drive to where the girls and I were, and change the tire.  Peanut butter cookies were mentioned as a thank you, so I'll be baking this afternoon!

Back to School...

Good morning! Today is our first day back to school. Grace is going into 6th grade, Emily into 5th and Benjamin into 3rd.

We are using the Sonlight curriculum (core 3 and 5) and the girls are taking a Creative Writing and Spanish class once a week. Boy Scouts and Faith Keepers is also starting back up this evening, so it will be a busy day. Wish us luck!