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Sunday, November 24, 2013

Long time no post

And now it's time for picture time with Haley, the part of the day when Haley publishes a post consisting of pictures from the 313 Project.

Day 164:  Stack of pleasure

Books and journals and letters....oh my!

Day 165:  Pumpkin season is upon us

Despite the fact that pumpkins are so.....IN.....this fall especially, I do not enjoy them myself.  With the exception of good pumpkin bread/muffins, I'm really not a pumpkin person.  Good for you if you are, though!

Day 166:  Tiny silhouettes 

God's creation is incredible to behold!

Day 167:  What time is it?

Well, you can't tell in this photo, but this clock with Roman numerals hangs in Green Acres.  It's very large and we don't really like it, so we'll probably replace it sometime.  It's truly very large.

Day 168:  Sunshine in a bottle

You are in the South when Coca Cola reigns supreme!

Day 169:  Until next time......

You saw these pix in the last post, I know.  But this was my picture for today and that is that. :)

Day 170:  A new season on the point

The trees are shedding their summer foliage, the grass has gone to sleep, and the quietly receding waters flow smoothly down the channel.  It's a lovely site to behold indeed. <3

Day 171:  On the road--again.

Rest stop boredom.

Day 172:  This is for Grandma and Grandpa!

This fancy conversion van reminded me of you. :)

Day 173:  Last Friday night (last, last)

The Gindorf's are such gentle, kindhearted people.  We love being in their company!

Day 174:  Moon-rise over Pixley

We're almost there!

Day 175:  Alas...!

This hangs in the office/schoolroom.  Mother has revised the rules a bit, to adapt with the changing times. ;)

Day 176:  Smiles and welcome!

There are balloons all over the ceiling.  They are a cheery bunch, and quite too.  Overall, nice to have hanging around.  Thank you, Shaw family, for that sweet surprise! <3

Day 177:  Our favorite piece of cookware

Hooray for Dutch ovens!  

Day 178:  How do I caption this?!

Ginsu.  Plain and simple.  Best-knives-ever.

Day 179:  It's map!

 Having a map of the world in the schoolroom is very important, not to mention fun to look at when you're bored.

Day 180:  Mountain bike jumble

For the past few years, our bikes have lived in the Office when not ridden.  That way they stay nice and clean and warm.  We like our bikes. ;)

Happy Lord's Day!

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Tree felling, a conference and things in between

(All photographs belonging to the events described in this post are HERE.  There is a new format that I just downloaded today, so don't think that I sent you the wrong link.  As much as I dislike having another profile on the world wide web, it's the new way to display albums.  You’ll see nothing else on it.)

A few weeks ago, the Halls came up to help us take down a few trees on the property.  It was a weekend job, and we got it done!  Thanks to Mr. Hall’s tree felling expertise, and a neighbor’s kind lending of his mower/trailer, and a few rakes, by Sunday night we had tall piles of logs and a burn pile the size of a monster truck tire.  Now we have a clearer view of the lake! 

On Sunday afternoon, we took the boat out on the lake, now turning quite chilly.  We bundled up with towels and blankets, and enjoyed the crisp ride and turning fall colors on the hillside.  I had scrunched myself down underneath the passenger dash, hiding from the wind, and had been sitting there quite comfortably when I noticed a slithering movement out of the corner of my eye.  As my vision focused, I was able to see a small, brown snake curled around the fire extinguisher……almost on my shoulder!  Well, I scrambled out of there quicker than I had previously thought possible, and sure enough, that snake had itself wrapped around the extinguisher!  Dad threw it overboard and we watched it swim away.

The mornings are foggy here on Watts Bar, and it’s a beautiful sight to behold the glassy water with the mist rolling off of it.  Libbey plays outside with the neighbor girl almost every day, and life was just getting back to its normal unobtrusiveness.  Daddy and I kayaked across the lake from our dock on a chilly afternoon, battling a headwind to boot!  But we made the mile-crossing and back.  I felt very small out in the middle, but thankfully there wasn’t much boat traffic that day. J  In fact, our part of the lake is very quiet, and there are seldom boats, except for the fishermen and busier weekends. 

We’ve been attending, as often as we’re able, a family integrated church in Knoxville that has about 400 attendees.  They are soundly based in Biblical doctrine, and there are many homeschooling families that attend.  We enjoy the sermons and worship, as well as the fellowship afterwards, when they share a meal, the Lord’s Supper, and often a time of re-grouping and study time in the afternoons.  Unfortunately, we’ve been traveling so much and haven’t been able to go more than 3-5 times, but we hope to in the future. 

On October 31st, we packed up the truck and drove 3 hours to Ashville, North Carolina.  It had been our hope all along that we could attend the annual NCFIC (National Center for Family-Integrated Churches) conference held there.  After a stop at Waffle House for lunch (yes, lunch), we arrived at the Ridgecrest conference center.  We checked into our room in the Woodlands building, a hotel-like division with three bunk beds (we were in student lodging).  At least we weren't on the floor, like at Green Acres!  I was thrilled. :)

That evening, after a dinner in town, we enjoyed the opening keynote session of the conference.  Scott Brown gave the keynote, and after that, a short break.  We were able to talk to friends from Tennessee, as well as a few from California!  From 8-9:00 we listened to Pastor Joe Morecraft speak.  Following that, we were up until midnight, talking to old and new friends. :)  Click the link for Day 1 of official photographs, as I didn't take very many photos at all throughout (I was enjoying myself so much and didn't want to bother much with the camera).

The next morning, some of us attended a breakout session at 8:15 entitled, "Is There a Regulative Principle of Worship?" by Sam Waldron.  At 9:45 there was a keynote session, and another at 11:00 called "Puritan Theology of Worship" by pastor Joel Beeke, which I greatly enjoyed!  I had not understood the great importance of God's principle of worship, as commanded in Scripture, and am deeply grateful for these wise men to bring us this insight through the Holy Word.

Lunch hour was spent outside, as we chose to pack our lunches instead of paying for conference food.  And we ate good!  Salads and meats and pudding and fruit, all sorts.  Hurrah for packed lunches and large ice chests!!  I walked to the campus bookstore by myself afterwards, and when I came out I heard the music of bagpipes drifting in the breeze.  Like others, I followed the sound and came upon a young man playing under a tree, all sorts of ballads and hymns.  It was beautiful!

For the rest of the day, we attended a session on the history of worship by Dan Ford, and during breaks we met new people and visited the vendor hall.  I bumped into a new friend from church that I talked to for a while, and all of us picked up a book of some sort. :)  There weren't that many vendors, but plenty of books and CD's, and lots of people to talk to.

We had dinner in town, and picked up little mini ice cream cups at Ingle's to eat before going back to Ridgecrest.  From 6-9:00 pm, everyone gathered in the auditorium to sings songs and listen to two keynote sessions.  Scott Brown gave the first, and Kevin Swanson ended the night with "How Worldview Affects Music and Worship".  Again, we stayed up late making new friends and connection.  Day 2 has more official pictures to view.

Saturday brought colder, but clear weather, and everyone had their coats and scarves on.  The sessions and breaks went much like the day before, with different topics of course.  My favorite was titled "What the 20th Century Music Has Done to the Protestant Church in America" by Geoff Botkin.  He clearly laid out the detailed history of modern music and the effect it has had on our nation, and the church.

From 1:45-4:00 pm, everyone sat in for a Q&A discussion from a panel of men, and a final keynote from Scott Brown.  Then our family joined two other families for dinner in the cafeteria.  For the rest of the evening (night, actually), we enjoyed fellowship with our new friends and talked, played music, and prayed far into the night.  It was a rich time.  Day 3's photos are here.

At 10:00 Sunday morning, we checked out of our room and gathered in the auditorium for a Sabbath day service.  It lasted until roughly 1:00.  The congregation sang many hymns and psalms, and the Word of God was read and preached to exhort and encourage.  Lastly, we partook of the Lord's Supper before a final benediction.

Later that afternoon, we left the campus for an early dinner.  Dad drove us to Ole Guacamole's, an authentic Mexican restaurant nearby.  There we met up with two other families and enjoyed some delicious Mexican food and good fellowship!  A number of us ordered burritos, which were HUGE.  And mmmm....they were yummy!

Later that night, we gathered in prayer before going separate ways.  Our family made the 3-hour drive back to Kingston, and you can bet we had some great discussions during the drive. ;)

Well, now life is back to normal here in East Tennessee, until next week when we prepare for the drive back to CA........more next time!

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Pressing onward to the goal I have set

Day 145:  A truth

We got this for Dad recently, and he hung it up right away!  It really fits him, obviously. :)

Day 146:  Vintage and stripes

Dad gets to hang his sign, and Mom gets to hang her apron.  I sense a red theme going on here....

Day 147:  Say goodbye!

Say goodbye to that chestnut tree on the left!

Day 148:  Silhouette

Well, I can't ALWAYS have wonderful captions for everything!  This heron is a regular on the property.  A very graceful, yet gangly bird he is.

Day 149:  End of term

What a beautiful day on the lake!  This was taken on our very last cruise of the season.

Day 150:  Work in progress

This is the Green Acres house, the day after the tree cutting was through.  We have lots of ideas running through our brains right now on things we'd like to change.  I already think it's adorable!  Mom and I want to plant flowers instead of bushes, and get a nicer storm door, etc.  Dad just wants his lake room built. ;)

Day 151:  Leftover wood

The rounds from the magnolia were huge, almost 3 feet in diameter.   

Day 152:  Shadowy

Lilies are the grace of the field

Day 153:  A blustery day

Gloomy afternoons are not uncommon, but it has a beauty of its own.

Day 154:  Travel plans

Mother has carefully evaluated the different "must sees" in the area and wrote down the best ones.  Perhaps one day we'll visit them all!

Day 155:  Dishes, dishes, a growing pile of dishes

It's not that bad.  They look pretty good when clean too. ;)

Day 156:  Bored

I was bored.  So I took this picture of lemons.  They are the puniest lemons I ever saw, but they are good.  And they clean up stainless steel pretty good.

Day 157:  Misty, foggy, ethereal

Gorgeous, isn't it?

Day 158:  So we can snoop 

Well, of course!  What did the fishermen catch today?

Day 159:  Sunlit wonder

Reflections of autumn leaves on a peaceful lake leaves one's heart stirred.

Day 160:  The Worship of God

The first of four days of convicting teaching and fellowship!

Day 161:  North Carolina in it's glory

The hillsides were a blaze of color in the sunshine.  Glorious!

Day 162:  Christians love to talk

They will spend all day and all night talking and laughing and sharing.  Here is a good example of a group of Christians talking.  It really captures the talking.  Ah, talking.  

Day 163:  A most precious book

My little travel Bible is a great treasure to me, along with my little notebook to go with it. <3