Books and Coffee

Welcome to my blog! Grab a cup of coffee (or whatever your beverage of choice is this morning).

Today I talk about what we are reading and a short (sometimes, not so short) update. So here goes:


Now reading: The Vision by CL Talmadge
On the waiting list: the next two books in the Green Stone of Healing series by Talmadge, The Captain's Wife by Douglas Kelley and How Children Fail by John Holt.

I'm thinking about joining in on a Random Reading Challenge over at Caribousmom but I haven't jumped on board yet. It looks neat but I'm not sure I am ready for the randomness required.

Kids' read-aloud:
The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook by Joyce Lankester Brisley

We are starting to get into our daily school work a little bit now. The older two are doing 2 pages of math work each day. And our letter of the week that usually takes 2 or 3 weeks is Gg. I chose gorillas as our animal to go with the letter.

I got the following books for us to read and look at:

• Gorilla Walk by Ted and Betsy Lewin
• Good Night! by Claire Masurel and Marie H Henry
• Giving by Shirley Hughes
• Gorillas by Seymour Simon
• The Golden Goose retold by Uri Shulevitz
• Gorillas: Gentle Giants of the Forest by Joyce Milton
• Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
• Good Night, Sun, Hello Moon by Karen Viola
• Amazing Gorillas! by Sarah L. Tomson
• The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone
• Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

Little W picked his own books:

• At a Construction Site by Don Kilby
• Seymour Simon's Book of Trucks by Seymour Simon
• I'm a Great Big Eighteen-Wheeler! by Michael Anthony Steele
• Working Hard with the Mighty Loader by Justin Korman
• Grover's Bad, Awful Day by Anna H Dickson
• When is MY Birthday? by Ray Sipherd
• Trucks (Usborne Beginners) by Katie Daynes
• Going Places by Jesse Smith
• If I Could Drive a Tow Truck by Michael Teitelbaum

Wednesday's are library days. The inter-library loan books arrive Tuesday's and our eggs are delivered to the library on Wednesday's. (The "egg lady" brings us farm fresh eggs from her hens.) So I combine the egg pick up with the book pick up and we spend some time on the computers there (no turn taking required, usually) and we pick books. I'd stopped going, and was just sending one of the kids to get the books and eggs, but now Baby R is big enough that she can last a little longer without getting fussy while the others do there thing.

On to other topics:

We have been pulling up the pea plants and bringing in the peas. It's a lot of work; we have a lot of peas. J and I have been shelling them in front of the television in the evenings. We planted three wide and long rows. So far we've brought in 1.5 rows! And we have lots already. I'm so excited; usually our peas don't make it to the freezer.

The caragana hedge is starting to pop. It means fall is coming. The little seed pods, a lot like a pea pod, are popping open as they dry out in the summer heat. I hear them popping and dropping when I'm hanging clothes out on the line.

We were going to put the bus on the road this week. Now we are not. I'm bummed but at the same time waiting is the better financial decision. By mid-September we will have a medical bill paid and can then afford the insurance better. Then by Christmas, one of my student loans will be paid and that's even better! I guess another four weeks isn't too long to wait to have wheels.

On Friday night we are hosting a supper in our home. We have invited a few of the single fire fighters over for a turkey dinner. I'm so excited. I love having people over for meals; we are friends. And serving food is a great way to encourage people to relax and chat; we get to know each other better. J gets to know these individuals at the fire hall each week, but I don't. During the summer, I get to spend a little more time with them because we have campfires and bbqs with them, but in the winter I get to spend time with them at the ball and at our Christmas party; that's about it.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed your visit here at my blog. Come back soon.

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,

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