The Feast of St. Michael and all Angels, Commonly Called Michaelmas Day

O praise the Lord, ye angels of his, ye that excel in strength: ye that fufil his commandment, and hearken unto the voice of his words.

New Blog-Baby

I have a new blog-baby! I am really excited about Nature study, so I thought I would start a nature journal-blog. My husband has been thinking of blogging, but cannot settle on an idea. This will give him a nudge into the blogosphere! We are now a blogger team! How romantic!

Visit us at Middle Earth Wanderings

Poor homeschooled kids; they really miss out.

Hmmmm...fresh air, nature study, fine arts and science experiments where every one gets hands-on?

Somedays, living "in the middle of nowhere" isn't so bad...

I live in the middle of nowhere. I live FAR away from St@rbucks, T@rget, Wh%le Foods and internet provider competition. But somedays, if I really look around, I can find much to appreciate.

Wordless Wednesday

Today's Nature Shots

Hickory tree.

Rose hips on a yellow Lady Banks rose at church.

The reflection in a beautiful lake my husband and girls canoed in this afternoon.

Weekly Report

We are still recovering from that virus, but we did have some fun. Here are some pictures of Nutmeg at music class and Nutmeg and Jerry trying the Minuet. Some friends came over today for history (French and Indian War), science (gravity experiments), and art ( making a mess, I mean secondary colors;). I found a park for the girls yesterday before music, they sure love a new playground! And if Nutmeg's clothes are starting to look familiar....well, she really likes that outfit and I don't protest because it cuts down on the laundry!

Cinnamon Rolls!

I am working on these cinnamon rolls. DH has had a rough week, and cinnamon rolls work wonders!

Nature Challenge #30

This week's nature challenge is all about seeds and weeds. I took a couple of pictures this morning when I took The Chipmunk to school. It was a bit dark, and the pictures of the tall ironweed did not turn out. The tall ironweed has been catching my eyes for weeks, and now it is starting to fade.
My friend Merry tells me this pretty orange wildflower is called Jewell Weed.

15 September Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Seven Sorrows (or Dolors) are events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

1. The Prophecy of Simeon over the Infant Jesus.(Luke 2:34)
2. The Flight into Egypt of the Holy Family. (Matthew 2:13)
3. The Loss of the Child Jesus for Three Days. (Luke 2:43)
4. The Meeting of Jesus and Mary along the Way of the Cross. (Luke 23:26)
5. The Crucifixion where Mary stands at the foot of the cross. (John 19:25)
6. The Descent from the Cross where Mary receives the dead body of Jesus in her arms. (Matthew 27:57)
7. The Burial of Jesus. (John 19:40)

Any thoughts on this?

I thought it was pretty funny.

The Velvet Ant

We used to live in a town with a bar called The Velvet Elvis. This critter makes me think if that. This is a wingless female wasp, commonly known as a velvet ant or cow-killer. I saw it running through the yard, and I called Nutmeg to bring a jar. I scooped up the wasp and only then noticed it was a dirty jar. So that looks like salt all over the wasp. Sorry. I let her go right after I snapped the picture. I drew a sketch in my sketch book, but the girls were too creeped out. Click the title to go to a coloring page of the velvet ant if you are so inclined.

Nature Journal Challenge #29

I don't know, Nature Gals. Is this edifying?
I am trying to catch up with the Nature Challenges, but this is all that is left of our sunflowers. They have become an hourly motel for assasin (?) bugs! I guess we can look them up and try to figure out which is male and which is female!

If you are not eating, click the pictures for a better view!

Weekly Report

Well, it is 2 am, and I am up with a miserable cold. It may actually be the cold medicine that is keeping me up! So I thought I might try a weekly report.

We have not done much.

Nutmeg was feeling bad on Sunday, and today was her best day. The Chipmunk was home today with a fever, and will be home tomorrow - which I guess is already here. I think Nutmeg did Language Arts, and it seems like we got in some math. Friday (later today) we will try to do a "regular" school day, unless I crash!
I did get some ideas and preparation done this week. I am still reading Pocketful of Pinecones, and absorbing lots of inspiration. I have also printed out the challenges from The Handbook of Nature Blog (see my favorite blog links). I am trying to get my husband interested in the nature walks/journals. After school and activities (piano, swimming, dance), I am wiped out. I also think Nutmeg will be more open to the nature walks if it is daddy and not her "teacher." I don't want that to be her only perception of me, but I will have to gradually ease my way into the nature studies.

I hope you all had a good week!