The Renaissance Faire

This was our third year attending the renaissance faire. The day started out very wet and gray at our house. I was unsure what we were in for, but hoped for the best. After two years of unpleasant hot weather (90s), we were in for a treat. By the time we arrived, the sky had cleared and blue was showing behind the fluffy white clouds. The temperature was perfect. The location itself is fabulous. The middle of nowhere in a huge field.

Walking through the faire, it is astounding the number of costumed actors and attendees. People-watching is the number one activity. In general, the costumes are fabulous and everyone is very willing to interact or pose for photos. (There are certainly a few strange birds mixed in, but overall the quality is high.) I felt very out of place in my jeans and t-shirt...

I'll continue tomorrow with photos of the jousting tournament and chivalrous knights. Grin.

Candid

It's candid week at i heart faces.

I don't know if this qualifies for candid, but I captured this image of a knight

while watching the jousting tournament at the Renaissance Faire this weekend.

Lots more photos coming up this week...
as soon as I get my nose out of a book...

Don't Bother Me... I'm Reading

I have lots to say. Really. A million thoughts, ideas, recommendations swirling in my head. But I can't stop to share them. I'm actually reading. Finally. But why can't I do everything at once? Like keep my house sparkling clean, apply my creative talent to decorating projects galore, fix scrumptious meals for my husband (and children who don't appreciate them), guide my sons through vast worlds of knowledge, nurture their little (disobedient) souls, share all my wisdom and insight (cough. cough.) with the blog-reading world, AND devour books? Nope. Not capable of doing it all. So I'll content myself with basking in each season as it comes, knowing another is right around the corner.

While you're waiting for my read-fest to wane (if you are), you can enjoy my mom's stunning photos of her trip to France on the two-year anniversary of her travels with my sister, Shannon.

Anyone attending the Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire tomorrow?

Living. Lovely. ~ Random Smiles

Random Smiling in Public



Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love,
a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.

~Mother Teresa


A smile costs nothing but gives much.
It enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give.
It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.
None is so rich or mighty that he cannot get along without it
and none is so poor that he cannot be made rich by it.
Yet a smile cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen,
for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away.
Some people are too tired to give you a smile.
Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much
as he who has no more to give.

~Author Unknown

I wanted to post every quote from this page, but I felt the above two quotes most eloquently expressed everything I hoped for with this past week's challenge.

Did you step outside of your own world, look someone in the eye, and give them a genuine light-filled smile this past week?

Did they smile back? Did it affect your own attitude, outlook, or focus? Do tell!

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Next week's living. lovely. challenge:

Reclaim a spot in your home
for beauty and/or function.

Do you have a spot in your home that used to be pleasantly functional, that now is a disaster?
It can be small (a junk drawer) or large (the spare room). I know I have several.

Let's reclaim one of those spots this next week!!
(May I request before and after photos?!)

Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful,
or believe to be beautiful.

~William Morris

Homeschool Day at The Oregon Garden

Yesterday was the homeschool day at The Oregon Garden. What spectacular weather (sun and gorgeous blue skies, and a little hotter than I expected) and what a huge turn-out! We spent the day roaming the gardens and learning stations with our best friends (Char, McKinnon, and Monet), but saw countless other friends along the way (it was so nice to see Heather and her family... it's been ages!!). It was one busy place, but luckily quite expansive.

The kids spent a bunch of time at the wonderful play area, while Char provided a picnic and I sat in the shade. By the time I had the boys rounded up and hiking toward the entrance, we were hot, hot, hot. The boys had discovered a fountain at the beginning of our day, which I managed to keep them out of, but we passed it again and I thought, Why not? Why not, indeed. In they went. I watched them whistfully. Why do I have to be the sensible adult? (That, and driving all the way home with soaking wet jeans didn't appeal to me. Luke didn't seem to mind, though.)

Homeschoolers have all the fun. Grin.

Nature's Painting

Meet the L Family

Does it get any more beautiful that this?

Not to mention that these kids were some of the easiest kids I've taken photos of...

Four models in the making. They've got the camera thing down.
I'll share more this next week, but we'll start with these.

Meet the Students...

...of Mt. Hope Academy!

Leif, Mr. Exuberant, is the youngest student at barely 3 years old. He is a pre-schooler this year, but don't let that fool you. He is determined, competitive, and eager. He is also rambunctious, loud, and often disruptive. But he is so cute, he is always forgiven.

He knows his letters and letter sounds, his numbers, colors, continents, and oceans. In the coming months, he will be working on shapes, blending letter sounds, and listening to and looking at many picture books. He will listen in on Latin, Bible memory, poetry, geography songs, and more since he doesn't play well independently and is often stuck in a car seat while fascinating CDs (songs, stories, poetry) are being played. His teacher is hopeful that he will work on his ability to be quiet while the teacher is reading and talking.

Luke, Mr. Earnest, turned 5 just a few months ago and is now starting Kindergarten. Luckily that is a loose description at this school, since he is a whiz at math and reads at a 2nd grade level. He loves projects, games, and one-on-one attention.

This year he will work on perfecting his handwriting (focusing on lowercase letters), breeze through math, and spend time reading aloud as well as independently. He will begin piano lessons. He will participate in Bible, Latin, grammar, memory work, geography, art, music, and science (in varying degrees). He will join in history and literature, increasing and applying (hist teacher hopes) what little attention span he has for those subjects.

Levi, Mr. Effervescent, is 7 1/2 going on either 2 or 20 (depends on what minute you ask his teacher). He is officially a second grader, though he reads on an 8th+ grade level and math (sigh)... Well, maybe we won't talk about math. He is sure he knows everything, and sometimes one almost believes it. Almost. He is constantly talking or humming, which must help his head stay clear, but doesn't have the same effect on those around him. He excells in any subject with words, such as debate.

This year he will continue with math, grammar, Latin, Bible, memory work, science (earth and space), geography, history (Medieval/Early Renaissance), literature (tied in with history), piano lessons, music history, and art. He will begin cursive handwriting and a new spelling program. He will read hundreds of books in his free time. His teacher hopes that he will develop an ability to work independently on occasion without getting distracted in the first three seconds, as well as develop a pleasant attitude toward work, instruction, and those in authority.

Boy, oh boy (pun intended),
am I glad there is only a 3:1 student-teacher ratio
here at Mt. Hope Academy.

Our Lovely Lists Displayed

I decided to let my kids in on this 'lovely list' exercise.
We talked about things they love,
and I wrote out a list for them on their chalkboard.
Now we all have lovely lists!
Wait, Russ hasn't made one yet...
We'll put him to work when he gets home. Grin.

Living. Lovely. ~ Lovely List

The Lovely List

What says 'lovely' to you?

Did you make a list? Write it out? Print it up?
Create art out of it?

Did you put it up in a place where it can regularly inspire and
remind you of the lovely things in your life?

What is on your list?

Do share!

(Check out Renee's lovely list art collage!)

(Be sure to scroll down for next week's challenge.)

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I've made a few lovely (or happy) lists over the years.

My first was an on-going list in a journal.
My second was in paint and covered a whole wall in my bedroom.
My third was written on an artist's canvas and hung on my living room wall.

My fourth is now a collage of images that represent lovely to me
(with a few corresponding words)
printed in poster size and mounted on a large corkboard.
It's resting on my mantel. I'll post photos later today or tomorrow.

Did you know that Costco will now print 20" x 30" posters?
For only $8.99?
I upload my image file at costco.com and pick up my poster just a couple hours later.
(Do you have any idea how nice (and expensive)

it is to have a Costco only 2 miles from my house?)


I made my collage and added text at picnik.com.
The creative possibilities are endless.
And at 8.99 and easily changed out on my bulletin board,
I'm going to be experimenting with photo posters often.

The picnik collage wasn't a high resolution, so the large poster size turned out a bit pixelized,

but I wasn't aiming for perfect. I was aiming for
'just do it (without spending a fortune) and enjoy it.'

My single photo images are a higher resolution (even when I edit and add text at picnik)
so those posters turn out much clearer.

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This next week's living. lovely. challenge:

Random Smiling in Public

Whenever I'm out and about, I find myself in my own little world.
I'm thinking about the grocery list.
I'm wondering what on earth I'm going to make for dinner.
I'm trying to keep 3 little boys from running through a parking lot.
I'm running on auto-pilot.

But sometimes, when I force myself to open my eyes and look around,
I see living, breathing, unique people. People who have lives of their own.

Their own thoughts, struggles, disappointments, worries,
fears, hopes, plans, desires...

I want to look them in the eye and give them a genuine smile.

A smile that says:

I acknowledge you.
You are a real person who has value.
All I have to give you is a kind smile,
but I am happy to give it.

So when you are out and about this next week,

I challenge you to brighten a stranger's day with a smile.
Not a cursory half-hearted smile, but a true light-filled smile.

You might find that it brightens your day more than you expected,
and you will do it over and over again. It's addicting and contageous.

Give it a try. Even if you think it's silly. Really. Trust me on this one.

Need some encouragement or inspiration?
Read here.

Thought for the Day

And now, what does it all matter? It matters more than anything else in the world.

The whole dance, or drama, or pattern of this three-Personal life

is to be played out in each one of us: or (putting it the other way round)

each one of us has got to enter that pattern, take his place in that dance.

There is no other way to the happiness for which we were made.

Good things as well as bad, you know, are caught by a kind of infection.

If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire:

if you want to be wet you must get into the water.

If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life,

you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them.

They are not a sort of prize which God could, if He chose, just hand out to anyone.

They are a great fountain of energy and beauty

spurting up at the very centre of reality.

If you are close to it, the spray will wet you;

if you are not, you will remain dry.

Once a man is united to God, how could he not live forever?

Once a man is separated from God, what can he do but wither and die?

~C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, as quoted in A Year with C. S. Lewis (emphasis mine)

Confessions....

Everyone has their vices, no? Sure, I have a few others.... Dr. Pepper. M&Ms. Sleeping in. But my most embarrassing vice? I love romance novels. If I read strictly for pleasure, without thought of what a steady diet of romance novels (and absence of other fare) would do to me, I would rarely read anything else. Sigh.

But that isn't the worst of it! Gasp. I want idealistic, satisfying endings with emotional closure. I want a dashing hero. I want a morally decent story line. And if that comes at the expense of good writing, it doesn't always matter to me. Hanging head in shame. I know some of you are gagging, but will you still love me?

It started in middle school. I read Janette Oke and Grace Livingston Hill. I still have a weathered copy of Crimson Roses, which I've read a thousand times. I read countless others not worth mentioning (though, luckily, the middle school library was stocked with relatively age-appropriate material). I continued reading romance novels through high school. Oh, sure, it isn't like I didn't read Uncle Tom's Cabin, Les Miserables, The Deerslayer, or The Count of Monte Cristo, but I craved a good romance above anything else.

Over the years, I've developed a healthy appetite for quality literature and non-fiction. But what I'd really love is quality literature with a love story. And a happy ending. So, I've stooped to enjoying stories such as E. P. Roe's From Jest to Earnest, written in 1875. Yes, the author does hit the reader over the head with his message. No, it isn't subtle. Or complex. But, golly, it is sweet. And clean. You know? Or, there's The Harvester, written by Gene Stratton Porter in 1911. If you're looking for a(n unrealistic) guy to swoon over, look no further. Seriously, that is one romantic book. (I can see my mother shaking her head now.) And we can't forget the romance novels of George MacDonald.

What really makes my day, though, is a story that is subtle, complex, full of rich character development, well-written, fascinating, and compelling. With romance and a happy ending. Is that too much to ask? I'm thinking North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (actually, the BBC movies will more than suffice).

Wives and Daughters, also by Gaskell... meh. The movie didn't entrance me (I think I didn't care for the lead actress), and the book was so disappointing at the end. Why didn't anyone tell me that the author died before finishing it?! A romance is nothing without the ending!!

Dark and depressing doesn't do it for me. Wuthering Heights, no thanks. Maybe not even Jane Eyre. (I'll let you know when I re-read it next month.) Tragic doesn't work for me. Open-ended leaves me unhinged. (Think Rebecca.)

The Little French Girl by Anne Douglas Sedgwick is way up there on my list. The epitome of subtle and complex, with diverse and rich characters and situations, the book does not preach. The author doesn't do the thinking for the reader. She weaves a spell. And a satisfying ending. I suppose a more dashing male character would have detracted from the over-all story, so I won't complain.

Okay, this is the point where I ask for suggestions. To re-cap: relatively clean love story, masterfully written (whether modern or classic), complex, subtle, full of rich language and fascinating characters, compelling plot, happy ending. Not too idealistic. No heavy-handed preaching. Not dark, depressing, or tragic. {Bwa-ha-ha-ha!!!!!!!!!!!} Are you up to the challenge?

Mt. Hope Academy

Education is simply the soul of a society

as it passes from one generation to another.

~G.K. Chesterton

I heart faces is having a special Mr. Linky up this week for
'back to school collages.'

As homeschoolers and young guys, my boys don't do much back to school prep.
We also started our school year in January,
so I thought I would share a collage of pictures taken earlier in the year
which give a little glimpse into school at our house!

Hitting the Books

We're 'back to school' at i heart faces this week.
Perfect timing. (I think that was the plan...)

We're heading back to school at Mt. Hope Academy this week, also.
What a great time to update the school photos.

Unfortunately (for a boy, I guess), when you are homeschooled and your mom is a photographer, it is always picture day!

We decided to goof off a little and have fun with our photos this week.
More coming up (do you doubt it?), but I thought the one above would be
just the thing for a back to school photo entry.

This year I have a pre-schooler, a kindergartener, and a second-grader. Whew!
Don't they look studious? Grin.

ETA: 5th place. Wahoooooo!!

The View From Saturday

Well, last Saturday, anyway.
I sat in my Adirondack chair,
completely ignoring the messy yard, the weeds, the to-do list.
I just read, gazed at the sky,
and occasionally closed my eyes and breathed slowly.

Take time to simply BE.

(Unfortunately, this Saturday has been variations of
rain, drizzle, pour, sprinkle, and rain again...
A perfect day for snuggling up on the couch
with good books, again ignoring the to-do list...)

Celebrating Nature and the Seasons

I recently purchased The Year at Maple Hill Farm to add to our picture book collection. Beginning in the month of January, the authors follow the farm animals through the year. This book is an enjoyable introduction for young children to months, seasons, and the activity of a farm. Alice and Martin Provensen's richly colored illustrations are a delight.

We picked up Town & Country also by the Provensens at the library. (I believe it is currently out of print.) Similar to The Year at Maple Hill Farm, Town & Country follows the seasons, contrasting the activity and scenery of the city with that of the country.

I also just finished up Nature's Serial Story, written in 1884 by E.P. Roe. The author begins the book during Christmas on the farm and wraps up the story a year later. The reader follows the months and seasons of nature and farm life, learning extensively about birds and their habits, growing crops, practical science such as latent heat, feeding chickens, and other information woven into the story, which happens to be a romance as well as a celebration of family life.

This book reminded me at times of Eight Cousins by Alcott, and other moments of The Harvester by Gene Stratton Porter. An interesting book club discussion ensued regarding a certain era and category of books which were meant to be morally instructing, uplifting, and idealistic, but left a little (or in some cases, much) to be desired in subtlety, fascinating character development, rich plots, or salt-of-the-earth realness. E. P. Roe, in particular, had obvious points to make in each of his books. It is no surprise to the reader to discover that the author was both a preacher and a horticulturist. Nature's Serial Story was certainly meant to instill in the reader both appreciation and scientific knowledge of nature.

I have more to say on this subject (of morally instructing, uplifting, idealistic stories of romance, nature, and family life) which will come in the middle of an embarrassing confession, but that will have to wait until the next day or two. Grin.

Until then, I'll mention two other books while we are on the subject (are we still?) of celebrating nature and the seasons, over the course of a year. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is a non-fiction read with a very obvious intention, but I found it to be a well-crafted, informative, and surprisingly entertaining story of growing one's own food over the course of a year. Or, if you are in the mood for something side-splittingly funny, try A Year in Provence.

The Curious Peach

A morning of picking peaches with new friends:

LOVELY.

The nectarine, and curious peach,
Into my hands themselves do reach;
Stumbling on melons, as I pass,
Ensnared with flowers, I fall on grass.

~Andrew Marvell

Living Lovely ~ Use the Good Stuff

Well, did you

Use the Good Stuff ?

I'm curious to hear what lovely thing(s) you put into use this week!

Did you have a hard time thinking of something?
Or justifying getting it out and using it?

Can't wait to read your comments and visit your blog posts!

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It has been ages since I've had a tablecloth on our dining table.
Since we only have one table in our house, it gets a lot of use....
every meal, crafts and coloring, school work, snacks.
I decided to iron my favorite cloth and put it on anyway!

Having a cloth on our table made me want to have a tea party!
I feel badly, but I rarely think of doing tea parties with the boys, and they really enjoy them.
So, we got out some nice dishes, real tea cups, and special cookies.

My sister recently brought over a couple wonderful illustrated poetry books for us to enjoy.
I decided that I would make the best of my captive audience
and share a few poems by William Blake.
The boys have been doing their fair share of coloring and writing lately,
so I added paper to some clipboards for a nice coloring surface.
The colored pencils were all sharpened and ready to go.

The tea party was a hit!

I think I would like to start making tea time a part of our routine (at least weekly),
having the boys color while I read poetry.

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Our challenge for next week:

Make a Lovely List.

I shared a project some time ago, painting my 'happy' list on a large canvas.
I want to challenge you to think of things that represent lovely to you.
Post this list in a visible place where it can be a source of daily inspiration.

Write it out on a chalkboard.
Paint it on a wall.
Print and frame it.
Use your imagination!!

I would REALLY like to see some pictures this next week.
Come on, you can do it!

Rising in the Mist

Hot Air Balloons @ Dawn ~ Morning #2

Photos by Russ

Russ returned with the boys for a second morning of hot air balloons,
though the atmosphere was altered considerably.
A cool, gray, austere dawn.

Hot Air Balloons at Dawn

Morning #1 ~ All Photos by Russ

Nature ~ Playing, Creating, Drawing

Levi enjoys employing his imagination out-of-doors ~ making large nests out of hay, constructing a bow with stick and twine, and digging up fossils ~ but when his cousin, Ilex, arrives.... Well, the imagination is exponential. She directs plays, assigns kingdoms, builds miniature characters out of pine cones, sets up 'villages' in a large clearing under a grove of pine trees (think Roxaboxen), and the list is endless.

I am exceedingly grateful for the friendship between my son and my 13 year old niece. They are surprisingly two peas in a pod, and Ilex is an excellent activity director when she is with the boys.

I've shared her poetry before, but I hadn't ever posted photos of her nature creations or sketches. So, today is the day. Inspired by a book about fairy houses, Ilex whipped up this little abode. My favorite part: the nutshell bowls filled with single blackberries.

Nature's Art Box is a wonderful book full of nature craft ideas and instructions.

Keeping a Nature Journal is a gorgeous book of sketches (some color, some black and white), ideas, and instructions for keeping one's own nature journal. I could peruse this book for hours. I'll be getting a copy for Levi (and myself) in the next year or two, so we can begin our own nature journals.

That girl has talent coming out her ears!!

Summer Treasures

A Spot for Beauty
On the Mantel
Use-What-You-Have Decorating
Summer Treasures

Berry Boxes, An Empty Nest from the Willow, and Shells Gathered on Vacation.

What says summer beauty to you?

Last Peek

Just finishing up the edits on Melissa's senior photos, and thought I'd share a few more...