Snowflake Bentley

Yes, I know it is Spring, but I couldn't resist passing along this website that features the photography of William Bentley. I am amazed and drawn back to the Creator of all things when I read about this man who studied snowflakes. He took pictures of thousands, and the wonder of it all is that no two are alike.

To see more of his work and learn more about the man behind it, go here.

TOG Y1U3 Celebration

We had our Unit 3 celebration recently. It was Greek to me!

Triangular numbers with beans
The food - sesame circles, asparagus (an Ancient Greek favorite), baked fish in grape leaves, and baklava

The books we read

A simple pulley
The children really enjoyed putting this and that in the pulley and raising and lowering it.

A mobile, soap carving, seal, cat mosaic, sieve of Eratosthenes, menu, and platonic bodies

Next - Ancient Rome . . .

But God

The children have a new phrase. I hear it a lot these days. I tell them to do something, and they reply, "But, Mamma . . . ". This at first got on my nerves, but then I remembered a sermon once preached about circumstances as they are. "But God" turned those circumstances completely around. Look it up for yourself. Now when I hear "But, Mamma", I just think to myself "But God" and remember what He can do.

The Lord is MY Strength

OBT is at work and will be coming home in time for dinner. Then he'll leave for training in TN for the next couple of days. I am already dreading his absence and struggling with the very thought. While I think about being without him, I am reminding myself that the Lord is my Helper. He will still be with me. I can lean on him while dh is gone and even when dh is back. I can start leaning on Him right now. Keep us in your prayers over the next few days as our family is apart that we will soon be back together again. That is the way we like to be.

What we read - December 2008

Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant

A favorite author. Her Henry and Mudge as well as Mr. Topper books are great for our beginning readers.

Every Autumn Comes a Bear by Jim Arnosky

Wonderful nature illustrations!

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

Everything we have read by him has been wonderful.

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Martin

I really enjoy how this true story tells the life of a boy's fascination with the uniqueness of snow and his pictures of them.

My visit to the aquarium by Aliki

One of Sarah's favorites. She liked it so much that we checked it out twice.

The Old Curiosity Shop

With "Hard Times" and "The Life of Our Lord" under my belt, MT Classic's announcement of "The Tales of Charles Dickens" prompted my desire to return to reading for leisure. "The Old Curiosity Shop" was first on my list. It tells the story of Nell Trent and her grandfather. Albeit Dickens introduces various characters on their journey whose lives intertwined with the main characters. Dickens has a way of letting his characters interact through plot and subplot so that their lives are all tied together in one way or another. They affect one another throughout the course of the story - directly or indirectly. This was true in "Bleak House" too.

Dickens is also known for his characters, and his imaginative creations are not missing in "The Old Curiosity Shop". Daniel Quilp is very unlikeable, and I look forward to seeing the actor who can accurately recreate him. Sampson Brass, a defining name to begin with, lacks the strength which the Biblical Samson is known for so much that brass suits him very well. A metal with the appearance of gold but worth much less.

For more information, go to Charles Dickens - Gad's Hill Place.

Pendragon