Closing the Year

No images just words in this post. And hopefully it will be a short post since I am at the library with a time limit imposed on my internet use. 

How has the year gone? Overall, it has been good. The 30 Days of Thanks posts list things that I was thankful for in just November. There were so many more throughout the year. Just one is the many books I was able to read, and keep, for free (well, they required my time to post reviews).

This year has apparently been Lee's year. She got a job, her driver's license, registered to vote, graduated- early actually, and wrote a novel {well, it's technically unfinished but she completed over 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo- and it's a pretty good book to boot!}. Because of some hoops we were not willing to jump through for her to take classes at the community college if she were still a high school student, she officially graduated September 21; her 18th birthday. She would not have been able to take any courses until summer 2015 if she had not graduated 'early'. As it is, she is registered for 4 classes starting January. 

The rest of us have all been good as well. There haven't been any wonderfully exciting occurrences for us but that is alright. Oh! We were able to get a piano. That was exciting.

School-wise went well for finishing up last year. Fox has done quite well with his work this year but we have some things to work on still. Lee is officially graduated but she has work left to finish- college classes or not! 

I am still working on my Masters courses and at the rate I am going, will finish this time next year. 

And that really is about it. 

For the coming year, what to expect here on the blog? I don't know. There will be undoubtedly more book reviews because Blogging for Books has an awesome selection for reviewers. Bethany House usually has some good ones as well. 

I hope to get a post or two in here about how school is going for Fox's 10th and 11th grade but I make no promises. He will hopefully be taking a couple college classes Fall 2015 through PSEO. We will see how that goes.

And that, my friends, will most likely be the last post for 2014. 

Have a wonderful rest of the month and a safe start of 2015.

30 Days of Thanks {Days 4-7}

Days 4-7:
Thankful for morning walks with my kids.
Homeschooling.
Thankful for the supplies to cook healthy and yummy food. Also for a family that is willing to try new foods.
A piano! Thankful we found one in very good condition at a price we were willing to pay.

30 Days of Thanks {Days 1-3}

It is that time of year again. When people put what they are thankful for 30 days. We are thankful every day, no matter the month, but this helps us focus a bit more on what good we have in our lives.

I am not joining up with any other 'thanksgiving' bloggers this time around as my internet is sporadic at best. Here are days 1-3:

Thankful for a wonderful library system where I live since I've lived many places that did not offer much.
Coffee- warm or cold

For some internet connectivity at home, albeit limited and only temporary. 
Like-minded individuals and groups to share ideas and glean from.
Sugar-free, gluten-free 'brownies' for breakfast.
Coffee. 
God's wonderful provisions.
Crisp, cool mornings.
Jobs for hubby, daughter and son.
AO forum.

Revised Reading {Goals} List 2014 & On

Going through old posts, clearing up labels, and deleting trivial posts, I found a book goals post from 2012. On Goodreads there is a goal for reading as many books as you set {mine is set to 60 this year}, but I'd not thought in a long time about which books I want to read. There are just so many books and who can read them all?

I decided to just go with a number of books as opposed to particular books. Here are books that I am currently reading:

Forever Dream by Dawn Hartley

The Christian Imagination, editor Leland Ryken

Echoes of Eden by Jerram Barrs

Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can't Live Without It by Dr. David Brownstein

Pursuing Justice by Ken Wytsma

The Stories We Tell by Mike Cosper

10 Books That Screwed Up the World by Benjamin Wiker

Better Policies, Better Schools by Cooper, Fusarelli, & Randall

The Attributes of God by A. W. Pink

Here's Looking at Euclid by Alex Bellos

The Living Page by Laurie Bestvater

Ourselves, A Philosophy of Education & Parents and Children by Charlotte Mason

Keeping the Kids by David Cloud

The Christian's Secret to a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall

The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul

My list will undoubtedly continue as I come across books that I want to pick up and at least begin reading. I just received in the mail the book Tables in the Wilderness by Preston Yancey that I've not even cracked open.

Books I have read this year so far include:

I won't list them out here but will give titles for those two books that only have a 'g' on them: Essays on the Life and Work of Charlotte Mason by the Charlotte Mason Institute and Walking with God in the Classroom by Harro Van Brummelen. 

Greenhouse Photos

Garden! In a Greenhouse

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Look what's in our backyard...

A greenhouse*! And it's not going anywhere either. We anchored that thing down good. Hopefully somewhat soon I may be able to share the construction, in stills or maybe a quick video, but for now, here's a photo of the finished greenhouse.

I was able to put the rotating composter* in the greenhouse but I may have to rearrange it as I want to have buckets and totes for plants in the back where it is now. 

We dug two trenches that we then put two boards into and back-filled. These were secured by anchors into the ground. The frame of the greenhouse was very easy to put together. We did it as a family on Sunday afternoon. The only day so far that was nice enough to do outside work. {Although as I typed that, the sun has come out, the rain has stopped and the clouds are far off.}

You can see the board a little closer here {I hope}.

There are shelves inside for the smaller plants and starts. Now I just have to get going on the seedlings! We bought some zucchini, spaghetti squash and kale seeds yesterday, along with some garden soil. I have paper egg carton bottoms for starting them. 

I'm still so excited when I look out the classroom window and see our greenhouse out there!